SIX THOUSAND YEARS HENCE (1891) – Written by Milton W. Ramsey. Regular readers of Balladeer’s Blog may remember that I’m usually enthusiastic about these works of “ancient” science fiction and look for any bright spots. In this novel’s case that is very, very difficult. For a book written in 1891 it seems more like an 1820s piece.
The central character is General Morton, a former military man who has become incredibly wealthy through a land deal. One night he starts tracking an odd dot in space with his telescope. The object turns out to be a wandering planet that is headed for the Earth.
In the event, the planet throws Earth’s moon out of orbit and into the sun. It does not collide with our planet but it comes close enough to capture General Morton’s city in its gravity and drags the metropolis out into space with it. And you ain’t seen nothin’ yet in terms of this book’s WTF attempts at “science.”
As the rogue planet drags the city behind it, the individual buildings in it form a long “tail”. The people inside those buildings stay alive by keeping the doors and windows shut so that they have air to breathe inside. Continue reading
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